


Heaven Waits for You

by ChibiYoda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Banner Feels, Character Death, Heaven, M/M, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, This Is My Ship and It Has Wrecked Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3380411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiYoda/pseuds/ChibiYoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heaven knows Bruce is special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heaven Waits for You

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, there is death. And believe me no one is more upset by it than me. I glossed over it as much as possible, since that's not a theme I do well with when it comes to these two. But I needed to purge this idea from my system, so I had to deal. 
> 
> Inspired by that last verse in the song "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas. Because, surely, heaven waits for Bruce.

There were two designations of Guardian angels: those that had always been, and those precious few who were once human and were then elevated to Guardian status. This was a high honor. Not all humans that were nominated by their Guardians were chosen. Those that were maintained their human form. Thus, there were both male and female Elevated. God created the Always in the same fashion, so that the Elevated would feel more at ease with them.

A Guardian could not openly communicate with their human charge. They had no real influence over their decisions. They existed to watch over their human's life, until the predetermined time of their death. A Guardian was not able to sway their human's actions, or keep them safe from injury, or shelter them from all of the bad in this world. But there were ways in which they could help ease the pain.

There was a Golden Rule for all Guardians. Whether Always or Elevated, angels could not interact with human souls once they reached heaven. A Guardian's time of affiliation ended at the pearly gates.

If you would have asked Bruce if such a being existed, he'd have politely scoffed at the notion. Surely there could be no creature like that. His mother might have believed, but Bruce saw no evidence of anything supporting her. But that was a human's limited knowledge of how heaven worked talking.

 

 

She was Bruce's Guardian. An Always. Though she had never had the experience of being human, the Always were gifted (or possibly cursed) with the ability to feel emotion through their human. This afforded them the understanding they needed in order to provide comfort.

She had been powerless to save Bruce from the tortures of his life. But those things that were able to lighten his heart, if even just a little, as he wandered alone? Those were her doing. Simple things, really. A happy memory. A smile from a stranger. A patch of flowers along a path of nothingness. A little dog. Whenever Bruce needed something good to cling to, to lift his spirits enough to continue on, she would dutifully provide. Just as she had done with other humans throughout her existence.

The difference was that with Bruce, it had never been merely duty that bound her to him. She loved him from the moment he was born. One could argue that angels were pure love to begin with, and that would be true. But Bruce had a beautiful soul, and she had bonded with it not out of obligation. Could an angel fall in love with a human? Pose that question to Tony and he would have said that if anyone could make an angel fall in love with them, that person would be Bruce. Tony may be biased, but he wouldn't have been entirely wrong.

She watched him grow and maneuver his way through life. She felt his pain, and did everything in her power to give him the strength to carry on. She was always by his side. He was never truly alone in the world. It only felt that way.

 

Then at last there came a point in Bruce's life when he found happiness. Even though his condition would seem to contradict, he had gained the wisdom to turn his tragedy into something positive. He was able to put to use his gift of genius to contribute wonders to the world. He was doing good. Making up for perceived sins. Though the memory of these actions, most of which he'd had no control over, still haunted him daily. An outsider might observe that his life was still unenviable. But for Bruce, it was exactly what he needed to achieve enough peace to be able to recognize and accept the pleasure that came with it.

And one person was responsible for breaking though Bruce's defenses and setting him on his new path. One would think that She had something to do with Bruce and Tony finding each other, but no. They had always been meant to be.

Bruce would continue to struggle with his demons, but now he had someone to help him through his low points. His bouts of despair became fewer and farther between. She watched as his life improved each day, and thanked God for giving Bruce a bliss he truly deserved. He may not have needed her as much anymore, but She continued to remain with him every moment of every day.

 

It was Tony who would arrive first. And even in heaven, he was a bit of a handful without Bruce's influence. But he waited as patiently as he could. Bruce would not be far behind. A love like theirs, once found, could not be interrupted for long.

 

When at last it was Bruce's turn to leave behind the shackles of his human form, She approached God.

"I wish to nominate him." She had never made such a declaration in all of her time.

"Why?" God asked.

"His soul is pure. He has knowledge and compassion. He is a good man, whose experiences would make him an excellent Guardian. He could help so many."

"He was given a great love on earth. A reward he richly deserved. You would deny him this for eternity?"

She continued her plea, unwavered. "He could be happy with us. I have always been able to bring him cheer."

"Ah, but did he derive this comfort from you, or from those things which you placed in his path?"

Of course. She may have been an angel, but there was only one perfect being. She now realized the error in her process. Her love for Bruce mistakenly lead her to believe that she had been a source of happiness for him, when it had not been her at all. No, Bruce deserved to be with the true love of his life, and let eternity make up for all of the hell he had to go through to get there.

 

And so Bruce arrived, reuniting with his Tony. The great injustice that was a large portion of his earthly life would soon become a distant memory. She could no longer have contact with him. It was time for her to look after another. And She knew that what she was feeling was sadness. She'd been witness to it enough to recognize it.

God took pity on her, as this was an extraordinary case. The two beings involved clearly were not typical of either of their races.

He decided to alter the rules.

He allowed them to meet.

 

She appeared to Bruce as he had imagined an angel might look, if they existed. Which he hadn't believed. Now he knows he was wrong about all of that. As he stood before this exquisite form, God flooded his mind with memories of all the instances of her actions. Bruce had an immediate and overwhelming understanding.

"You helped me." 

"Yes." was all She could think of to say.

Bruce reached out, and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you."

So stunned was She by his embrace, she didn't know how to react. But goodness knows that she'd observed enough hugs. She tentatively raised her hands, and barely touched his sides. It lasted only a moment, which even by human standards was fleeting, but it was more than enough to restore her peace.

 

And heaven didn't have to wait any longer for Bruce.


End file.
